Wednesday, October 29, 2008

I was reading a dear friend's blog (Brown And Serve) and she posted her very first poem. Her husband found it while cleaning house...it was a poignant little poem written during adolescence...

It made me think of my very first poem. I had forgotten that I had written it. I'm not even certain that it counts as a poem, but as the author of the words, I'm making it officially a poem. I was 7 or 8 years old. It was stuffed into the bottom drawer of my mom's dresser for several years. I can't remember the occasion for my actually writing it down, but oddly, I can remember the FEELING of it EXACTLY! When I discovered the poem several years later, it took me back immediately to that time and that jumbled up combination of emotions that pushed those words out and onto the page. I have always thought in very vivid pictures and this was proof. I even illustrated it! Here is my very first "poem".

"My love is like a ghost in a haunted house. It floats right through my heart."

Debbie Katz, Age 7 or 8Someone should have medicated my butt. (this is not MY illustration)

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Proposition 8 is a HUGE issue in California...the biggest of the issues on the ballot and certainly the costliest. Both sides are racking up huge sums of money, millions in fact. I like to think of myself as a moderate on most issues. I like to think that most people are moderates. We hang out in the center, the middle, the area of the spectrum where common sense tends to live-no radicals, no outliers, no fringe elements to muck up the works. It also tends to be the place where no loud mouths are, traditionally...hence, the moniker, "the silent majority". It's the "vocal minority" that tend to get heard and make news. Well, guess who's getting heard now?

The problem with laws or propositions that involve issues like homosexuality is that they tend to push "fundamentalist's buttons" and that's just never a good thing to my way of thinking. So, when I'm out on the street carrying my "Vote Yes On Prop 8" I have the misfortune of either standing next to a sign that talks about homosexuals wanting to "condition" our children OR I am somehow associated or judged as a fundamentalist, close-minded, judgmental person who hates all homosexuals, etc. And that's not true. And it's not fair. And I resent it. A lot. Any one who knows me would laugh at that insinuation. A lot. I have so little regard for whom anyone sleeps with, I can't begin to tell you. Who you or anyone else chooses to sleep with is up to you. It is YOUR decision and YOU are accountable for it and its consequences. Okay? Lighten up there Scooter. Date your granny for all I care. Just don't expect me to give you a lobby and a say in the legislature because of it, okay?

The reason I'm supporting Prop 8 is this: Religious freedom. If Prop 8 fails, the constitution of the state of California will have to be REwritten to redefine marriage as being OTHER than between one man and one woman. If that is the case, if marriage is REdefined, then rabbis, preachers, ministers, bishops and other people of faith who CHOOSE to NOT marry same sex couples, based on their religious beliefs, could be sued and churches closed. AND THAT IS NOT FAIR. THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE SHOULD NOT LOSE RIGHTS SO THAT A MINORITY OF PEOPLE CAN ENJOY ONE RIGHT-THE RIGHT TO MARRY. PERIOD. Religious freedom, people. It's what our founding fathers fought for. And besides that sentence having lots of lovely alliteration, it's important.

"WE CLAIM THE RIGHT TO WORSHIP ACCORDING TO THE DICTATES OF OUR OWN CONSCIOUS" 11th Article of Faith. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

I make a covenant each week in front of witnesses to take upon myself the name of Jesus Christ, to keep His commandments, and to always remember Him. This is me holding up my end of that covenant. It's not popular. Not by a stretch. But I hope my friends can try to understand. Religious freedom.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Yea, the link looks weird but if you click in between those lines, you will be taken to a magazine article that explains the distinct advantage (and it makes sense) that Obama voters are bringing to the "yes"-for-Prop-8 people. It seems that minorities LOVE LOVE LOVE Obama (Blacks, Latinos, wayward Mormons *cough*) and those demographics are gearing up to come out to the polls to vote. The drive to register and activate "latent" Democrats has reached frenzied status. Typically, these voters are strongly in favor of traditional marriage and this could really and truly help Proposition 8 over the top. In fact, if you read the article, those who would like to see Prop 8 fail have a real problem on their hands...so, when it comes to Mr. Obama, love him or hate him, we in California may all owe him a debt of profound gratitude come the election...am I in heaven or what???

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Well, it was homecoming here tonight in SoCal. Little Eli, so named because Big Eli lives in Ohio, asked a beautiful young woman from our ward to go to the dance. She attends a private school but she agreed to accompany him to his school. YAY...big YAY. She's stunningly beautiful and I guess she's had a crush on him for awhile...so it's a cute thing that's going on. Anyway, Peter and I had to drive around with Eli for awhile until we could take him to Cassie's house for the big date. She's driving. Cool. So, we took him to his friend, David's house so we could get some pics of those two together, which was fun. Then we had to kill some time in the car while we waited for Cassie to get home. That's when the fun started. So....This is Eli and I. He's a handsome kid, ain't he? I think he looks a little like a young Robert Downey Jr. Just a skosh. And he's funny and way talented. He can play the piano like a dream. Can't read a lick of music. Self taught. Really incredible.This is a pic of Peter and I...doesn't Pete look happy? No. He looks ridiculous. And do you notice the little, brown scrunched up face smashed in between our faces? Yes, that would be Eli's. These are the two men I live with...24/7. Like I stand a smidgeon of a chance at normalcy.Yea, that's better....Eli said, "Look surprised!" and then we snapped the picture. Except for Peter, who thinks "Look surprised!" means "appear to NOT be a part of what the rest of your family is doing".Eli said, "Puffer fish" and we snapped the picture. Except for Peter, who thought "Puffer fish" meant "smile in a cheesy manner".Eli said, "Bulldog!" and we snapped the picture. Except for Peter, who thought "Bulldog" meant to "continue to smile in a cheesy manner".Eli said, "Attitude!" and we snapped the picture. Except for Peter who thought "Attitude!" meant, "Is that Cassie's car coming down the street?"Eli said, "The Thinker" and we snapped the picture. Except for Peter who thought, "I think my chin is right HERE".And thus ended our time with Eli on his last Homecoming night his senior year of high school....ahhhhhhh, the memories.......

Thursday, October 16, 2008

It was stunningly beautiful and there was virtually no one there. Perfect. No lines for rides. The exhibits were great, as is usually the case. Parking was a breeze. And speaking of breeze, it was perfect as it rolled in off the ocean, refreshing and nourishing after the hideous El Nino winds we've endured the past week.

First up are some pics we took from the kids' water play park. I love to watch Mae and Clark running in action. It's difficult to catch them because they're so fast but that's the challenge. Sheer joy....

Then we watched the dolphins and a couple of whales performing. That was amazing. Those dolphins are so fun to watch.I got to go on a few rides with Mae, as did Emmy.We met a couple of celebrities!But the best thing about the entire day, to my way of thinking, is when it's all said and done...sure, we get to watch the little kids oogle and ahhhh at the fish and the fun and be sticky-giggly all day, but for me, I get to spend the entire day with MY kid...my funny, pretty, kind, compassionate, faithful, did I mention pretty and funny? daughter..MY baby girl....and that just never gets old...

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Arrgghhh...I was driving home and was given a lesson on suspending judgment. I did NOT ask for this lesson...it was GIVEN to me...those are the worst/best kind. Worst because they hurt the most and best because you learn the most. Yeesh!

I was driving home past a casino. The road narrows to virtually one and a half lanes (one and a half lanes!!!-proof that city engineers have a sick sense of humor) just before the entrance ramp to the I-10 freeway. AND, it's vewy vewy dark. So, there I was, tooling along and there, right there, in the middle of the road is a bicyclist! Now, this guy wasn't a recreational bicyclist...no...that would have been cause to embed him in my grill and parade him around through the center of town, making an example out of him. No, this guy was a workin' stiff. He was wearing a hoodie and had his workin' man clothes on. Poor guy. So, my first response was to beep my horn because I was angry that he frightened me...cause ya know, it's all about me...

Then...my heart broke when the realization of his situation poured over me and I was all awash (there's that word Nancy) in self-loathing for my judgmental attitude...so, to protect him, I straddled both lanes and went slowly so no cars could pass me and he could pedal his little workin' man heart out and get through that dangerous spot safely. I know the cars behind me were angry because they couldn't see HIM, all they could discern was a crazy blond in an SUV straddling two lanes and driving way slower than she has a right to, SO THEY'RE JUDGING ME NOW, RIGHT?...by the time I got to my entrance ramp, I wanted so badly to shout to the poor guy, "Hey, biker-dude! I'm so sorry I misjudged you and honked my horn and scared you! I'm sorry you have to ride a bike for your crummy paying job. I'm sorry the city supports this mega-casino but can't seem to light this busy street alongside it for safety. I'm so sorry for everything"...but apparently we're limited in how much we can communicate as we pass in the night....

Monday, October 13, 2008

Everybody wants to talk to babies, but no one knows what to say. "Hello" is very popular. You can't not say it. You pick up a baby, you just start saying "Hello". Over and over. "Hello...hello...helllll-ooooo..." Like you're on the phone and the baby's just not picking up. In reality, they hear you fine-they're just waiting to hear what you say next.

Usually what comes next is a question. The inevitably high-pitched, dopey-voiced, grown-ups-talking-to-babies voice.

"Who's the cutest baby?""Who's got an itty-bitty nose?""Who's got a poopy diaper? You? Do you have a poopy diaper and an itty-bitty nose?"

First of all, these questions are way too easy. The reason babies don't answer is because they're insulted. They don't like being patronized.

"You know who the cutest baby is, so why ask? Give me a tough one."

"Who's that in the driveway? Is that Grandma pulling up in the driveway?"

But no that tough. That makes them angry.

"How the hell should I know who's in the driveway? I can barely see over this giant stuffed frog."

Plus, I think they resent questioning in general. It's like an interrogation.

"Who's that? What's that in your nose? Why are you crying? What did you do? And how do you explain your juice ending up on his bib?"

And they start sweating.

"Hey, I'm innocent, I tell ya. I've only been alive three and a half weeks...I just learned how to breathe, for crying out loud...I also, incidentally, just learned how to cry out loud..."

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Post 10 things that are going right in your life right now. I don't care how small. You're happy with your cup of tea. You saw a flock of geese flying over. ANYTHING. Things that make you happy. Things that make you smile. No pressure.

It's small and it's simplistic, but maybe for the time you are compiling your list, you'll forget about the bad going on and focus on something good.

1. Peter and I went to Costco to add to our food storage. He's primarily doing this because he knows this makes me very happy-way happier than it makes him. While we were there, we saw little Eli and Peter Jr having pizza. We sneaked out my camera and began taking zoom-lens pics but they busted us and started waving-it was cute to see them there.2. I reconnected with an old friend that I met in 9th grade...we've met for dinner twice. What a precious gift, this rekindled friendship.3. Although I woke up with a wicked bladder infection, Peter took me to Emergent Care and stayed with me until I was seen and then we went to two different pharmacies for the cheapest prescription-all of this without medical insurance...feeling so much better and I am soooooooooooooo grateful for that.4. Buddha is so much more lovable and fun to hug since he took a shower with me and is so much cleaner-he's destined to take more showers with me....poor baby.5. I have one more Netflix movie to watch this weekend-The first 3 episodes of Season One of Heroes. We watched "Immortal Beloved" last night. It's about Beethoven's muse and starred Gary Oldman-my new crush. 6. I'm preparing my lesson for Church tomorrow-it's on tithing and I get to present wonderful material.7. Finally finally finally found America's Next Top Model on TV last night-YAY!!!8. Emily loaned me her "how to decorate" book by Pottery Barn-it's a crash course on space, color, and other components of style and now I can't wait to redo my living space until I move and then DO my house after I move-so jazzed. 9. I have coffee ice cream and gourmet chocolate layer cake waiting for me...oh yea...10.I am loved and my husband and chillin' and grand chillin' and mom and siblings and their families and my uncles and their families and my friends are alive and well and the Church is alive and well and moving forward. Life is good.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Met my old friend Cindy from high school last night at California Pizza Kitchen on El Paseo...we had a blast and we could have talked all night. And now, we're already cooking up schemes...it looks like there's a good possibility that next week we'll be motoring up the coast to Sausilito!!! Oh man...oh man oh man oh man.....

Well, this is absolutely crazy. I mentioned earlier that I was in Facebook and how awesome this tool was for reconnecting with people and lo and behold! I get an email from an old friend from high school, Cindy. Her husband is a golf pro here and she lives not far my neighborhood and has for 7 years!!!! How on this green earth did we miss each other? Here we are, three time zones away from our roots, a 15 minute drive from each other, and we just reconnected? And I'm moving away in June! Granted, I'll still just be 90 minutes away from her and we'll still be able to see each other, but all this time.....

Anyway, I'm excited. Hopefully I'll find my camera battery charger so I can get pictures. I love this girl. I. love. her. It feels good to have a little bit of home and history out here with me, other than family...someone I grew up with.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Well, I've discovered "Facebook"...and oh no...this is an amazing and frightening tool for reconnecting with people from one's past. I've had a blast finding a couple of old friends from high school. They look fabulous...(what's THAT about? In MY fantasy, I'M the one that wows everyone!!!), they're happy and they appear to be compassionate and active in their communities. The frightening aspect, beside the obvious, which is the ONE PERSON YOU DON'T WANT CONTACTING YOU who actually finds you, moves to your neighborhood, joins your church, volunteers at your kids school, yada yada yada, but that's what restraining orders are for and it's a cute way to tell people how my husband and I met, but anyhoo, the disturbing thing is when I try to remember the names of people I went to high school with. I'll be doing a "search" for them and I'll draw a complete blank. Gone. Fade to black. Nothing. I may get a first name, then nothing. I'll see a face; youthful, beautiful, laughing, and nothing else. How can that be? High School was only 10 or 15 minutes ago, right? RIGHT?...

Maybe if Facebook could arrange to have a line of photos from various senior yearbooks from the 70s...yea...like, 1973 Northland High School, Columbus, Ohio...and I could pick the ones I want to reconnect with, just click on sweet face number one, then sweet face number ten, and on and on...oh yea, that'll happen....I guess I'll just be spending the next several days in a fog trying to remember names...I'll be sputtering out syllables, getting glassy-eyed and looking off into the distance as I bleed through my forehead trying to remember a name I said everyday for four years in a row...FACEBOOK!!!! I hate you and love you. Here's a restraining order...when can you marry me?

Friday, October 3, 2008

Oh...oh....oh, how I wish I had audio capabilities on this thing...because I, friends, family and foes, am working on a killer Sarah Palin impersonation. I lived briefly in Alaska (very briefly a long time ago, and yea yea in a galaxy far far away) and there are a couple of us in the family that have a little bit of a knack for impersonation and I do believe I've got her down. I called my husband at work and began talking like Ms. Palin and then I said, "And jest soh yah knoo, ahm weenkin at cha right now and ahm gonna be talkin' joost like this awl night long, if yoo're gittin' my drift, and oh! here comes another beeg weenk your way". Now, Pete's a workin' man and when he's on the company's time, he gives them 100% of everything he's got, but I've gotta tell ya, that man was taken aback...ABACK I TELLS YA!!!! And I even got him to laugh....

That said, I am taking the time to declare that I believe Ms. Palin held her own last night in the vice-presidential debate and that both candidates were extremely respectful and cordial to one another. I especially enjoyed afterwards when both families met together and shook hands. I thought it was lovely. The Palin baby has the cutest face on the planet. And I've had a crush on that Biden mug for a few years anyway. So! Though each ticket is worlds apart in ideology, whoever wins, I will (selfishly) have plenty of eye candy for the next four years...for which I'm certain I will have to repent.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Last night Peter and I were eating dinner at the house. Apparently I had a piece of rice stuck to my upper lip. I didn't know this. He was looking at me. Steady. Finally he said to me, without a smile, dead-pan serious, and uttered this quote, "Your beauty is only further enhanced by the presence of food stuck to your face."

This just in from their other granny's blog (perandnancy.blogspot.com), "the most recent ultrasound of the babies showed that Charlie now weighs a hefty 1.8 pounds and Olivia weighs 1.6. Olivia had the hiccups and Charlie's hand was raised in a tear-jerking, "everything-is-fine-in-here" high five. talk about making a grandma cry."

As you may remember, we were/are all united in prayer and fasting for Olivia and Charlie as they are not full-term and their sweet Mother, Abby, was going into premature labor. Abby and her cervix are now known throughout the Internet. Anyway, it's been touch and go, with the twins, as well as with Abby and her...well...you know. The Abbott was given steroids in an attempt to hasten the development of the twins' lungs and brains in the anticipation of a premature birth. She is only 23 weeks...way too soon. We have bonded with these babies. The cribs are up, as are our hopes....now to get their weight to match our anticipation...

So, the news is looking better and better. We're keeping the prayers going...do prayers ever really stop? We appreciate all who have prayed on the kids' behalf. Thank you. Thank you for adding your faith to ours. We realize that ultimately we're praying for the will of the Lord to come to pass and for peace and happiness to be with Eli and Abby and the kids. It's just human nature to hope that the will of the Lord includes two happy, healthy, screaming babies with frazzled parents who can smile when they're sleep deprived because they'll remember that THAT'S what they prayed for...